Photo by Vanessa Rees
A garlicky, lemony, buttery vegan shrimp scampi made with oyster mushrooms and white beans, reduced in a white wine sauce and ready in about 30 minutes. Big flavor, easy method, fancy enough for company.
Shrimp scampi was a Brooklyn staple when I was growing up. If you were at an Italian restaurant, the kind with the red and white checkered tablecloth, you can be sure someone nearby was slurping up a plate of it. So I do not play when it comes to scampi. It has to be fragrant with garlic and lemon, super fresh, and gorgeous too.
This vegan version is awesome because no specialty vegan seafood is required, since oyster mushrooms already have a quality of the sea about them. And the garlic butter here is coconut oil, which goes rich and buttery once all that garlic hits it.
This is a great recipe for new cooks, because it sneaks in a couple of methods you’ll use forever. Sautéing the mushrooms does double duty: they char and stay meaty while their juices feed the broth, building a texture that actually holds up against the pasta. Then you reduce wine with loads of garlic, something everyone should know how to do. Once it’s in your repertoire, there’s no stopping you from making anything taste fancy.
So grab your lemons and scampi over to the kitchen. Let’s make this.
What Goes In This Vegan Shrimp Scampi?
- Oyster mushrooms. The star. They have a delicate, almost briny quality, a faint taste of the sea, that makes them shockingly good in place of shrimp. They also stay tender with a little bite, the way shrimp does. Buy them at your local Asian market instead of paying Whole Foods prices for underwhelming ones, they’re almost always cheaper and often better quality.
- Cremini mushrooms. The supporting cast. Oyster mushrooms can get pricey, so cremini stretch things out and add a meaty backbone. Nothing fancy, just there to round out the pan.
- Refined coconut oil. Not Italian. At all. I know. But when combined with all that garlic a vegan butter is born. No, it will not taste like coconut, promise. If you’d rather, a good olive oil works too, though you’ll lose some of that buttery richness.
- White beans. Cannellini are my pick for their creaminess, but navy or great northern are right there with them. They add the heartiness that makes this a full meal and not just noodles and mushrooms (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
- White wine. Use something dry you’d actually drink. It reduces down with the garlic into the base of the white wine sauce.
- Linguini. The classic scampi noodle, long and flat enough to hold the sauce. Any long pasta works, but linguine is the way to go.
- Lemon. Juice in the sauce, thin slices on top. The slices add pops of lemon flavor and also just look so so pretty. Slice them as thin as possible and they will shine like jewels.
Try These Other Easy Pastas
Shroom Scampi FAQ
Can I use onions instead of shallots? Totally. Shallots are a little sweeter and more delicate, but a small yellow onion, finely diced, will do the job. You’re building a base either way.
Can I use a different mushroom? For sure. Oyster mushrooms are the star, but king oyster, sliced into coins, would be gorgeous too. Maitaake are great. And even shiitake are a nice option, although they have a stronger flavor.
Can I make it gluten-free? Yup yup yup. Swap the linguine for any gluten-free long noodle. Everything else in the pan is already gluten-free.
Can I leave out the wine? Sure. Use extra vegetable broth with a squeeze more lemon. You’ll lose a little of that reduced depth, but it’ll still be bright and garlicky.
Can I use chickpeas instead of white beans? Why not. They’re firmer than cannellini and less creamy, but they’ll bring the same heartiness. Use what you have.
Wait, what does scampi mean? “Scampi” isn’t just a cute word, it’s a crustacean in Italy (a little lobster guy), and shrimp is actually the American substitute for scampi. So shrooms replacing shrimp makes total sense. It’s the sort of pasta I’d have no reservations serving to anyone who grew up eating the classic version.
Shroom Scampi with Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- 1 pound linguine
- ½ cup thinly sliced shallots
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms
- 8 ounces oyster mushrooms
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup vegetable broth plus up to ½ cup more
- 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley plus more for garnish
- About 10 thin lemon slices
Instructions
- Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Boil the linguine according to package directions until just al dente.
- Meanwhile, preheat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots in coconut oil with a pinch of salt, just until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about a minute. Add the mushrooms, red pepper flakes, black pepper to taste, and the salt. Sauté until the mushrooms release their juices and start to brown at the edges, about 7 minutes. Pour in the wine, scrape the bottom of the pan with your spatula to get the good stuff, and let the wine boil and reduce, about 3 minutes.
- Lower to medium heat and add the vegetable broth, beans, lemon juice, and parsley. Use a slotted pasta spoon or wire skimmer to transfer the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. If the sauce seems dry, add up to ½ cup more broth or a splash of reserved pasta water. Taste for salt and seasoning.
- Serve topped with fresh lemon slices and extra parsley.
